Hymn to the Ocean
by Tears to Shed
Summary: Titanic is a ship of dreams, one that ended in tragety on April 14th 1912 taking more than 1500 people with her. This is their story.. her story. Of lives lived, love lost and well... you'll see.


Chapter 1:

Ami slowly stepped from the car and glanced around the loading area of the dock; grateful for her large hat for it blocked the majority of rays coming from the sun. She turned and glanced at the hand in front of her. With a soft sigh, Ami reluctantly took it, swallowing back the disgust she felt for the man before her. Shin Calvers also known, as 'Kunzite' was at best a bother that Ami would rather not have to put up with. Snooty and stuck up Mrs. Mizuno had seen only dollar figures in Shin and had impedingly seen it as a way to enhance her own wealth. Ami scoffed silently at her mother's own greediness sometimes and probably would have laughed at the situation if she had not become a part of it. Ami loved her mother dearly, but her mother's greed was enough to drive her to do desperate things and the marriage between herself and Shin had not been a fair arrangement. A sharp cough and a stab to her side jolted Ami out of her thoughts. She glanced at her mother, who gave her a displeased glare and started up the boarding ramp. With yet another sigh she and Shin started their ascent up the ramp and to the RMS Titanic.

Ami had never been on a boat before, but the feelings she got from looking at the large liner where only dread and sorrow. She chalked them up to the fact that she was leaving her native land, only to go to a place her father had only spoken about in letters. Was America really better than London? Would their situation over they prosper? Of course she laughed inwardly at that idea, of course it would her mother had seen to that. Shin was a lucky catch in many ways. Too bad Ami despised him, with her very being. Setting foot onboard the large liner Ami felt it shift underneath her and she gulped grabbing from the railing. In doing so her gazed had been directed out the window and witness two young men racing along the docks heading for the boarding ramp waving their tickets frantically. This brought a slight smile to her lips. It seemed that the lower class were always running around frantically late for this or that. She was content to watch the two men running up the boarding ramp but she knew that if her mother caught her daydreaming again, there would be a price to pay. She turned to find her mother and Shin staring at her. She lowered her gaze to the carpet floor and slowly walked forward. Her mother's displeasure was evident and she knew that there would be some form of punishment at dinner.

Mrs. Mizuno couldn't understand what Ami's problem was. She has young and beautiful and could have any suitor she wished yet she chose to stay close to her heart and wait for true love, something that reminded her, of herself at a younger age, before it broke her heart. Shaking her head she turned again to Shin.

"If you'd be a dear and show Ami to her room, I'll be off to make sure everything settled as I want it." She said as Shin nodded and extended his arm to Ami with a sickingly sweet grin. Ami stayed quiet but knew a lecture from Shin was soon on the way. She merely smiled back weakly.

"It would be my pleasure Mrs. Mizuno." He said softly. It was enough to convince Mrs. Mizuno and she disappeared around the corner. With out a warning the charming smile melted into something more malevolent and Ami knew she'd crossed a line somewhere. Shin turned back to her and frowned. "Just what do you take me for? You know there's no way out of the engagement, so you might as well get use to me." He said his voice lined with a demanding tone. He would no tolerate her disobedience any longer. Ami frowned and tore her gaze away from him.

"Get over yourself Shin. I'm doing this merely for mother's liking, not yours." She said as she started to walk down the hall. "Show me where my room is and then leave." With a glared Shin stalked after Ami.

Four patrons sat around a small table locked in a gruesome all-nighter card game. In the middle of the table sat the two and final tickets sold by White Star Line for the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. Akai Taro also known by his pen name Nephrite sat opposite to the two English gentlemen at the table. He and his buddy Matsuko Takashi known normally as 'Jadeite' were staring intently at his current hand. Akai inhaled deeply on his cigarette and glanced down at the table. The highest hand on the table was a pair of two's and upon seeing this, is smirk grew. He laid down his hand and watched as the faces of the two gentlemen across from him fell. He had indeed beaten their hand and the titanic tickets were officially his and Matsuko's.

Matsuko, being the younger of the two was always one to wear his emotions on his sleeve and he couldn't help but jump for glee as Akai won the tickets. In his haste to grab them, he not only knocked over the remaining glasses on the table up his chair as well. Akai quickly snatched the tickets up from the table as the liquid from the glasses all pooled in the center of the table. Matsuko managed a guilty grin, to which Akai only shook his head.

"Well this is it Matsuko, we're finally going back home!" He said softly looked down at the tickets. Matsuko nodded and was about to say something, when the bartender spoke.

"Not you boys, Titanic Leaves at 11, ye best hurry!" He said causing both Akai and Matsuko to glance up at the clock. It stared back at them with an almost mocking gaze and Akai swore slightly under his breath grabbing his jacket he turned to Matsuko.

"Hurry, we can make it, if we run." He said as they both raced from the bar and out into the streets of London. It seemed like the entire city had turned out to see the Titanic off.

Weaving their way though the masses of people Akai glanced back at Matsuko to see where he was, not wanting to lose him now. Matsuko flashed him a quick smile and continued to run after him. It seemed that Matsuko wanted to go back to America more than he did. They turned the corner together in time to see the boarding ramp starting to be unwrapped from it's holdings and Akai moved faster than he had been before hollering at the deck hand to wait, all the while flashing his ticket. The deck hand seemed slightly annoyed by their late arrival but allowed them access onto the ship. Akai nodded a quick thanks as he and Matsuko raced past him and out onto the main part of the ship deck. The crowd cheered as Titanic veered away from the dock and started out on its maiden journey. Standing at the stern of the ship Akai and Matsuko were filled with an understandable joy. Not only had they won their passage home, but also it was on the most exquisite ship in the world. Luck really had won out for them once.

Glancing down at the sea below him, Akai pointed out the dolphins to Matsuko. The younger youth gazed down at the sea confused at first, but when the dolphin broke the surface of the water a smile adorned his lips. It was just so unbelievable and Matsuko turned to Akai.  
"I can see the statue of liberty already! Very small of course!" He said causing Akai to jump up onto the railing and stand there for a few seconds.

"I'm the king of the world!" he yelled into the rushing wind as he raised his arms above his head. Matsuko laughed slightly and pushed Akai off of the railing, causing him to loose his balance and tumble backwards landing on the hard wood of the deck. Glancing up at Matsuko he frowned but his vision was captured as a girl maybe a year younger than him walked out onto the first Class balcony.

She was flanked by who he assumed was her fiancé and despite the heated argument they were having; he couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from her. He barely noticed Matsuko's hand on his shoulder or even what the youth had been saying. Tearing his eyes away from the girl he glanced at Matsuko. "What?" he asked somewhat defensively, and it was clear to Matsuko that he hadn't heard the youth's question. Matsuko sighed and shook his head.

"You haven't got a chance with her mate" He said as they both glanced back to where Ami had been standing. She said something to the man next to her and at his response stalked off, the disgust on her face evident. Akai sighed softly suddenly wanting to know more about this girl. He pushed himself up off on the floor and grabbed his bag that was a few feet away. He turned to Matsuko and nodded.

"You're probably right." He said and glanced back up to the balcony. "Lets go find our rooms shall we?" he suggested as Matsuko picked up his bag as well. Akai suddenly had an urge to draw.

Ami sat silently at the supper table as her mother and many of the other first class passengers sat around swapping stories of love turned cold, bank accounts widdled dry and the rate at which many people do not bring up their children properly. Ami half listened, her mind still seething at Shin and his arrogant attitude. If she had thought that this morning's little lecture had been hard on her, it was nothing compared to the tantrum he threw once they were both back behind closed and sealed door. Chairs had gone flying, china had been smashed and all through the while Ami had merely watched him do it, faintly wondering if she would be seeing this side of him again. Feeling his run his hand up her leg, broke her out of her silent musing long enough to catch a particularly dirty look from her mother, to which she merely smiled sweetly to and promptly ordered her supper.

It was no doubt that they had indeed been talking about her. She knew her mother too well. Mrs. Mizuno would find any excuse possible to make her the center of attention in the way most to her liking. She never took any consideration for what Ami wanted but rather, what she could do to make Ami look like the spoiled little brat she wanted her to be seen as. Faintly deciding to track her mother's conversation a little better, she returned her gaze back to her empty plate in front of her. Submissive, some might call it, but Ami knew better. It was a way of surviving her mother's curved hooks. Dinner came and past and so did the comments about Ami directed to the table. It seemed that Mrs. Mizuno wasn't even trying to keep it concealed now. She was openly mocking Ami in front of about 30 high-class citizens and soaking up the glory she got as they openly laughed at her. Punishment indeed.

Ami was to the point of clenching her hands tightly into fists to merely keep control of her anger. Her mother's games had gone on to far and she was getting sick of it, sick of being her mother's leverage. With the most charming smile Ami could muster she excused herself from the table and stalked out of the dinning hall in a hurry, despite the calls of their girls and Shin. Once out of their line of sight, Ami broke into a run, tears steaming down her face blurring her vision. Still she continued to run heading for the bow of the ship. She would end it all, the pain, suffering. The ridicule her mother put her through. She passed through many different gates on the ship, marking the different levels and class changed.

The blood was pounding in her ears by the time she reached the bow of the ship. The large propellers, moving the ship steadily through the old Atlantic waters spun and created a large volume of suction in the water. Ami grasped onto the railing fighting with the rational side of her brain trying to not convince herself to not throw herself off the back of the boat. She shook her head and slowly climbed up the railing and slowly threw her right leg over the railing and followed by her remaining leg. Turning around she stared intently into the dark chilling waters as she took a few deep breaths. She was really going to do. End her assumed marriage; end her mother's taunts, and the miserable existence that she called her life. Leaning over slightly she prepared herself to let go, when she suddenly stopped.

"Don't do it!" The phrase registered in her mind and she indeed had paused. Slowly she turned around and stared at the passenger behind her. Breathing heavily and barely hanging onto the railing she could understand the rate at which he was approaching. She was unpredictable at the moment. One wrong movement could send her over the edge, in more ways than one. Frowning she stared at him, confused by his motives. The man continued to edge his way closer to her and Ami started to panic again.

"Don't come any closer! I mean it!" She said weakly, in a soft defensive voice. "I'll let go!" She said in that same soft voice but found she couldn't draw her gaze from the man standing before her. The man motioned to his cigarette and inched closer to the side of the railing and chucked it over the side. They both watched it go out immediately as it touched the water and his smirked slightly as Ami's eyes widened. It couldn't really be that cold could it? He stepped closer to her and stared her in the eyes.

"I don't think you're going to do it miss."


End file.
